Tubular transfer system

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for transferring tubular stands between a substantially horizontal position on the catwalk and a substantially vertical position at the rig floor entry. In one embodiment of the invention, this is accomplished by moving bundles of individual tubulars to the process area, where a stand make-up/break-out machine, also called a bucking machine, makes up the tubular stands. The bucking machine aligns and stabs the connections and makes up the connection to the correct torque. The tubular stand is then transferred from the bucking machine to a stand storage area or to a trolley pick-up area. When additional stands are needed by the drilling operation, a trolley is moved into position over the trolley pick-up area to retrieve the stands previously placed in the trolley pick-up area. The stands are clamped to the trolley and the trolley is moved from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially vertical position at the rig floor entry. A vertical pipe-racking machine transfers the stands to the traveling equipment. The traveling equipment makes up the stand connection and the stand is run into the hole. The operation can also be reversed to remove stands from the rig floor entry and break out the stands in a horizontal position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a tubular transfer system for adrill rig, and in particular, to a tubular transfer system that movesthe tubulars between a horizontal position on the deck and a verticalposition at the rig floor entry.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] Drill rigs have utilized several methods for transferring tubularmembers from a pipe rack adjacent to the drill floor to a mousehole inthe drill floor or the well bore for connection to a previouslytransferred tubular or tubular string. The term “tubular” as used hereinincludes all forms of drill pipe, drill collars, casing, liner, bottomhole assemblies (BHA), and other types of tubulars known in the art.Conventionally, drill rigs have utilized a combination of the rig cranesand the traveling system for transferring a tubular from the pipe rackto a vertical position above the center of the well. The obviousdisadvantage with the prior art systems is that there is a significantmanual involvement in attaching the pipe elevators to the tubular andmoving the pipe from the pipe rack to the rotary table. This manualtransfer operation in the vicinity of workers is potentially dangerousand has caused numerous injuries in drilling operations. Further, thehoisting system may allow the tubular to come into contact with thecatwalk or other portions of the rig as the tubular is transferred fromthe pipe rack to the drill floor. This can cause damage to the tubularand may affect the integrity of the connections between successivetubulars in the well. Finally, past systems have only been able totransfer single joints of pipe or casing.

[0005] In response to the disadvantages of a conventional handlingsystem, other prior art apparatuses for gripping a drill pipe andtransferring the pipe from a horizontal position on the pipe rack to avertical position above the drill floor have been developed. Some ofthese systems allow the pipe to be handled without the necessity ofmanual interaction in grasping the pipe or transferring the pipe to thewell. One of these apparatuses is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,771to Woolslayer, et al. Woolslayer teaches a drill string that is moved bya strongback having hydraulic grasping jaws. This apparatus is mountedto the drilling platform and is centered in the V-door of the rig.

[0006] Another apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,604 toBrittian et al. Brittian teaches a strongback that is connected to a onepiece boom with the boom being mounted on a base located adjacent therig and operating directly through the V-door of the rig. The strongbacktransfers pipe through the V-door to a vertical position and raises orlowers the pipe so that a connection between the pipe and the drillstring can occur.

[0007] Yet another apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,454 toSorokan. Sorokan discloses a pipe handling method for moving tubularsfrom a horizontal position on a pipe rack adjacent to the well bore to avertical position over the center of the well by using a bicep andforearm assembly and gripper head for attachment to a tubular. Thetubular is moved along or close to the conventional path of the tubularutilizing known cable transfer techniques so as to allow access to thedrill floor through the V-door of the rig. More recent designs haveutilized a deck transfer system complete with a conveyer to moveindividual joints from the deck area to the rig floor entry.

[0008] The disadvantages of the prior art are several: a substantialamount of human physical contact with tubulars and lifting devices isrequired; the process for transferring tubulars is lengthy, costing morein rig time and total operational spread cost; the condition of adrilled hole deteriorates with time and may cause damage to the well;the space on the rig floor is limited, thus limiting the ability toconduct simultaneous operations such as drilling and picking up tubularsfrom the deck; and there are safety risks associated with a craneinterface with the rig floor. All of the previous systems have only beenable to pick up a single length of drill pipe, which is generally 30feet long, or a single length of casing, which is generally 40 feetlong.

[0009] Ideally, one would like to have a horizontal to vertical tubulartransfer system that allows multiple segments of tubulars to beassembled on the deck, prior to being moved to the rig floor, thenstored in a pipe rack until needed by the drilling operation. The systemshould minimize required manual contact with tubulars while maintainingthe simplicity of the drilling operation. The tubular transfer systemshould also be relatively lightweight, and low-cost. The system shouldalso increase the efficiency of the tubular handling operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention is a method and apparatus for transferringtubular stands, which include more than one length of connectedtubulars, between a substantially horizontal position on the catwalk anda substantially vertical position at the rig floor entry. In oneembodiment of the invention, the drilling rig is a cantilever jack-up inwhich the cantilever beams are of sufficient length that three joints ofRange II drill pipe (nominal 30 ft lengths) can be stored when assembledtogether; such a length of three drill pipes is normally called a stand.In this embodiment, individual joints of drill pipe are transferred fromthe main deck pipe racks to the cantilever pipe rack and then to a standmake-up/break-out machine, also called a bucking machine. The buckingmachine stabs the drill pipe connections and makes them up to thecorrect torque. The drill pipe stand is then transferred from thebucking machine to a stand storage area (pipe rack) or to a trolleypick-up area. When additional stands are needed by the drillingoperation, a trolley is moved into position over the trolley pick-uparea to retrieve stands previously made up. The stands are clamped tothe trolley and the trolley is moved from a substantially horizontalposition to a substantially vertical position at the rig floor entry. Avertical pipe racking machine permanently located in the derricktransfers the stands to the well center where it can be picked up by thetraveling equipment or to the vertical pipe rack in the derrick (or setback) where it can be stored until needed by the drilling operation. Thestand is made up to the drill string already in the hole and the standis run into the hole. This operation is repeated until all of the drillpipe required by the drilling operation has been installed in the hole.The operation can also be reversed to remove stands from the rig floorentry and break out the stands in a horizontal position on thecantilever pipe rack deck. The description above relates to drill pipebut exactly the same process can be applied to casing, which normallycomes in 40 ft lengths and therefore a stand of casing in thisembodiment will consist of two joints of pipe also made up by thebucking machine on the cantilever pipe rack deck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The novel features characteristic of the invention are set forthin the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as apreferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

[0012]FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of a jack-up rig inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cantilever and vee-door ofFIGS. 1A and 1B in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 3 is a cut away perspective view of the power tongs on thebucking machine shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

[0015]FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the cantilever with the trolleyin a half-way-down position in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

[0016]FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the cantilever with the trolleylowered to the horizontal position in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

[0017]FIGS. 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F are end views of the trolley in thevarious states of a pick-up operation in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

[0018]FIG. 4G is a perspective view of the cantilever showing thetrolley approximately halfway between the horizontal and verticalposition in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0019]FIGS. 4H and 4I are side views of the trolley and the track inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0020]FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, are top perspective views showing theinside of the derrick in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view showing the inside of thederrick in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, perspective views of a jack-uprig 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, isillustrated. The jack-up rig in FIG. 1A is shown in a floating mode. Thejack-up rig has independent legs 110, 120, 130 that are positioned inproximity to a respective corner of the triangular platform 140. Theindependent legs 110, 120, 130 are extended through the platform 140 tothe floor of the body of water over which the platform is located. Oncethe independent legs 110, 120, 130 have made contact with the floor, theplatform 140 can then be “jacked-up” above the surface of the water.This method of jacking-up the platform is well known in the art. Whilethe invention is described in regard to an off-shore jack-up rig, theinvention is not limited to any particular type of drilling rig, nor isit limited to drilling rigs in particular. The invention may be usedanywhere a tubular transfer system is needed without departing from thescope of the invention. For example, the invention may be used for landrigs, production and drilling platforms, tender assist rigs, anddrilling barges.

[0023] Once the platform 140 has been jacked-up, the cantilever 150 canbe extended out over the water as shown in FIG. 1B. The upper surface ofthe platform 140 supports a helipad 155, and living quarters 160, 170.The cantilever comprises two beams 150 which support at their aft end asubstructure on which is mounted the drill floor. In the presentlypreferred embodiment, the drill floor is capable of lateral movement onthe substructure. The cantilever is extended and the drill floor ismoved laterally on the substructure so that the rotary table can beplaced in a precisely pre-selected location aft of the jack-up hulltransom. In an alternative embodiment the drill floor remains stationaryon the substructure and the entire cantilever is moved laterally. In thecurrent design, the living quarters were mounted to the sides of the bowleg, rather than being positioned aft, as they are in previous designs.This change allowed the cantilever to extend all of the way forward tothe bow leg when in the stowed position. As result it is much longerthan prior art cantilevers which terminated at the aft side of thequarters house. This increased cantilever length also increased thecantilever pipe rack length to more than the 90 feet required toaccommodate a stand of three connected drill pipes. Prior art cantileverpipe racks generally are not long enough to accommodate a stand of drillpipe. This increased cantilever pipe rack length pointed to a need to beable to move assembled stands of pipe or casing from a horizontalposition on the cantilever pipe rack to a vertical position at the veedoor entrance.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 2, a cut away perspective view of thecantilever 150 of FIGS. 1A and 1B in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated. A deck or rig crane 205 is used to placesingle pieces of drill pipe or casing called “tubulars” 210, 215 in thecantilever staging area 220. Once the individual tubulars have beenprepared for make-up, the deck or rig crane 205 transfers the tubulars210, 215 to the bucking machine 225 for assembly of the tubulars into astand. In this embodiment, the bucking machine 225 is located on thecatwalk 230. The bucking machine 225 aligns, stabs, and makes up theconnection to the correct torque value. After make-up, the stand istransferred from the bucking machine 225 to a stand storage area 235 onthe cantilever pipe rack 150 using the deck or rig crane 205.Alternatively, the stand could be placed directly into the trolleypick-up area 240 to be picked-up by the trolley 245.

[0025] All of the stands that will be needed for a section can bemade-up prior to the drilling operation or the make-up process can beongoing while the drilling operation is being conducted. By making-upthe tubulars into stands before they are needed by the drillingoperation, the process for make-up of the stands is taken out of thecritical path of the drilling operation. Because the number of make-upsis reduced by making up the stands prior to the drilling operation, thetime required to run the stands into the hole is reduced. Depending onthe length of the cantilever 150, as well as the length of the tubulars210, 215 double, treble, or more sections of tubulars can be made up inthe horizontal position before being transferred to the derrick 180. Theterms “horizontal” and vertical” as used herein are intended toencompass minor variations from perfectly horizontal and perfectlyvertical, respectively. One with skill in the art will understand thatthese terms refer to approximate positions relative particularcomponents of the drill rig.

[0026] The length of the cantilever 150, as well as the height of thederrick 180 can be varied depending on the length of the stands 255, 260desired. In one embodiment of the invention, the dimensions of thecantilever 150 and the derrick 180 are such that a stand ofapproximately 90 feet can be accommodated and made up on the cantileverin the horizontal position and then transported to a vertical positionin the derrick 180 in. A pair of power tongs 250 are utilized by thebucking machine 225 to make-up or break-out a tubular stand. These powertongs 250 are commonly known in the art.

[0027] Referring now to FIG. 3, a cut away perspective view of the powertongs 250 shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention is illustrated. The jaws 315, 320, 325, 330 clamp down on thetubulars 330, 335 to mate the male end 340 of tubular 335 with thefemale end 345 of tubular 330. The jaws turn the tubulars in thedirection of the arrows 305, 310 to screw the tubulars 330, 335 togetherand torque them to the appropriate value. The process can be reversed tobreak out the connection.

[0028] Referring now to FIG. 4A, a perspective view illustrates thecantilever with the trolley 245 in a halfway down position in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. Two tubular stands 405, 410 areplaced in the trolley pick-up area 240 prior to the trolley 245traveling down to the horizontal position. At the lower and upper endsof the trolley 245, a pair of wheels 415 are attached. The wheels 415travel along a track 420 that extends from the lower end of the trolleytravel on the cantilever 150 to the upper end of trolley travel on thederrick 180. The trolley 245 is attached to a drive means such as acable winch 450 that is used to winch the trolley 245 up and down. Thecable winch 450 could also be any drive means capable of moving thetrolley 245 along the track 420 and is not limited to a cable winch. Forexample, the drive means could be a rack and pinion or a slidingmechanism in the track 420 that engages the trolley 245 to move it upand down.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 4B, a perspective view illustrates thecantilever with the trolley 245 lowered to the horizontal position inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. In the position shown,the trolley can pick up stands of tubulars from the trolley pick-up area240. The number of stands picked up can vary depending on the design ofthe trolley 245. For example, with relatively small diameter tubulars, ahigher number of stands may be picked up, and for relatively largediameter tubulars, a smaller number of stands may be picked up. One withskill in the art will recognize that any number of stands may be pickedup at any given time without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention.

[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F, these drawingsillustrate end views of the trolley 245 in the various states of apick-up operation in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. InFIG. 4C, the trolley 245 is shown in the horizontal position as the pickup of the tubular stands 405, 410 begins. Before the trolley 245 islowered to the horizontal position, the tubular stands 405, 410 areplaced in the trolley pick up area such that they nest in a cut away inthe push-up arms 435. Push-up arms 435 are located at a plurality oflocations along the length of the tubular stands 405, 410 for pushingthe tubular stands 405, 410 up into the trolley 245. FIG. 4D shows thetubular stands 405, 410 as they are pushed up into the trolley 245. Atthis point in the operation, the fingers 425, 430 are still in aretracted position. Once the tubulars have been pressed into place bythe push-up arms 435, the fingers 425, 430 extend downward and swinginward from the stored position as shown in FIG. 4E. Once the fingers425, 430 are under the tubulars as shown in FIG. 4E, the fingers 425,430 are then lifted up to hold the tubulars 405, 410 in position on thetrolley 245 and the push-up arms are lowered as shown in FIG. 4F. Oncethe tubular stands 405, 410 are clamped into place by the fingers 425,430 on the trolley 245, the cable 450 is hoisted in an upward directionsuch that the trolley 245 moves along the track going first up theincline 440 (illustrated in FIG. 4G) such that the trolley 245 istransferred from a substantially horizontal position at the trolley pickup area into a substantially vertical position in the derrick 180.

[0031] The shape and structure of the trolley 245 has been disclosed anddescribed in reference to FIGS. 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F. However, the trolleyis not required to have the structure disclosed. Any trolley capable ofretrieving a tubular and moving along a track may be used. Theparticular grasping means disclosed can also be varied without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 4G, a perspective view of the cantileverillustrates the trolley 245 approximately halfway between the horizontaland vertical position in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.FIG. 4G illustrates that the tubulars have been picked up and that thereare no longer any tubulars in the trolley pick up area 240. Once thetrolley 245 is clear of the trolley pick up area 240, another set oftubular stands may be placed in the trolley pick up area 240 either byusing the deck or rig crane 205 or manually moving the stands to placethem in the cut-out of the push-up arms 435.

[0033] Referring now to FIGS. 4H and 4I, side views of the trolley 245and the track 420 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention areillustrated. FIG. 4H shows the trolley in transit between the horizontaland vertical positions. FIG. 4I shows the trolley in a vertical positionready for the tubular stands to be removed from the trolley by avertical pipe racking machine.

[0034] Referring now to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D, top perspective viewsinside the box derrick 180 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention are illustrated. FIG. 5A shows the trolley in a verticalposition before the tubular stands 405, 410 are released from thetrolley 245. FIG. 5B shows a vertical pipe racking machine 505 as itattaches to the tubular 410 before the fingers 430 are released andretracted by the trolley 245.

[0035]FIG. 5C shows the fingers 430 in a retracted position and thetubular stand 410 in transit between the trolley 245 and the wellcenter. Provided that the prior tubular 510 has been run into the wellfar enough, the tubular 410 may be attached to the prior tubular 510with traveling equipment 515, as is commonly known in the art, so thatit may also be run into the well. However, if drilling is slow and theprior tubular 510 is not low enough for the tubular stand 410 to beinstalled at the time that the vertical pipe racking machine 505 removesthe tubular stand 410 from the trolley 245, then the vertical piperacking machine 505 can instead place the tubular stand 410 on thevertical pipe rack 520 in one of the slots shown. In this manner, anumber of tubulars stands 525 can be held in the vertical pipe rack 520for use in the event that the horizontal to vertical tubular transfersystem malfunctions or is delayed for whatever reason. Thus, thehorizontal to vertical transport system is kept out of the critical pathof the operation except when it is in a vertical position at the rigfloor entry. This system provides a more efficient and faster tubularhandling operation then has been available in the past.

[0036]FIG. 5D shows the tubular stand 410 in a vertical position overthe well center. Once the tubular stand 410 is screwed into the previousstand and torqued to the appropriate value by the tubular tong equipment511, the vertical pipe racking system then retrieves the tubular stand405 from the trolley 245 and either places it in a position so that itcan be run into the well or places it in the vertical pipe rack 520 ifthe drilling operation is not ready for an additional tubular stand.Once the tubular stand 405 is removed, the trolley 245 can then betransported back down to the horizontal position by unwinding the cablewinch 450 attached to the top of the trolley 245 to allow the trolley245 to roll back down into the horizontal position. The operation canthen be repeated with another set of stands. One with skill in the artwith understand that the operation described above can simply bereversed to remove stands from the hole and break them out on theplatform in a horizontal position using the breakout machine 250. Thissystem significantly speeds up the process.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 6, a bottom perspective view inside the boxderrick 180 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention isillustrated. FIG. 6 shows the drill floor 190 as well as the tracks 420on which the trolley 245 moves up and down between the horizontal andvertical position. The vertical pipe racking system 502 and travelingequipment 515 are also illustrated.

[0038] Those skilled in the art should understand that the previouslydescribed embodiments of the tubular transfer system are submitted forillustrative purposes only and other embodiments thereof are well withinthe scope and spirit of the present invention. Although the presentinvention has been described in detail, those skilled in the art shouldunderstand that they can make various changes, substitutions andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention in its broadest form. For example, changes to the design ofthe trolley and pick-up mechanism can be made. Other types of tubularsthan those disclosed could also be used. Further, the pipe handlingmeans inside the box derrick may also be varied without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for transferring a tubular between asubstantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position,said apparatus comprising: a trolley adapted for grasping andtransporting said tubular between said substantially horizontal positionand said substantially vertical position; a track for guiding saidtrolley between said substantially horizontal position and saidsubstantially vertical position; and a drive means for applying a forceto move said trolley between said substantially horizontal position andsaid substantially vertical position.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said trolley is adapted for grasping and transporting a tubularstand, said apparatus further comprising a bucking machine for making upand breaking out said tubular stand in said substantially horizontalposition.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drive means comprisesa cable winch with a cable attached to an upper end of said trolley forwinching said trolley from said substantially horizontal position tosaid substantially vertical position such that said cable winch may bereleased to allow said trolley to travel back down said track to saidsubstantially horizontal position.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid trolley comprises a first pair of wheels attached adjacent to anupper end of said trolley and a second pair of wheels attached adjacentto a lower end of said trolley such that said first pair of wheels andsaid second pair of wheels are adapted to travel along said track inresponse to said force being applied by said drive means.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said trolley comprises a plurality offingers for grasping said tubular.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid substantially horizontal position is located over a deck andwherein said substantially vertical position is located at a rig floorentry.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality ofpush-up arms located at a pickup area for pushing said tubular into saidtrolley such that a plurality of fingers on said trolley can grasp saidtubular to hold said tubular in place on said trolley.
 8. A drill righaving a derrick and a platform attached adjacent to said derrickwherein said platform comprises a first horizontal pipe rack for storinga plurality of made-up stands and a second horizontal pipe rack forstoring a plurality of individual tubulars, said drill rig comprising: atrolley for transferring at least one stand between a substantiallyhorizontal position at a pick-up area on said platform and asubstantially vertical position at a rig floor entry in said derrick;and a track for guiding said trolley between said substantiallyhorizontal position and said substantially vertical position.
 9. Thedrill rig of claim 8 further comprising a bucking machine horizontallysituated on said platform for making-up and breaking-out said pluralityof stands.
 10. The drill rig of claim 9 further comprising: a verticalpipe handling machine located in said derrick for retrieving said atleast one stand from said trolley while said trolley is in saidsubstantially vertical position; and traveling equipment for receivingsaid at least one stand from said vertical pipe handling machine andrunning said at least one stand into a hole.
 11. The drill rig of claim8 further comprising drive means for applying a force to said trolley tomove said trolley between said substantially horizontal position andsaid substantially vertical position.
 12. The drill rig of claim 11wherein said drive means comprises a cable winch.
 13. A method fortransferring a tubular between a substantially horizontal position on aplatform and a substantially vertical position at a rig floor entry,said method comprising the steps: grasping said tubular in saidsubstantially horizontal position using a trolley; transporting saidtrolley with said tubular from said substantially horizontal position tosaid substantially vertical position; and removing said tubular fromsaid trolley such that said tubular can be run into a hole.
 14. Themethod of claim 13 wherein said trolley is transported along a trackthat guides said trolley between said substantially horizontal positionand said substantially vertical position.
 15. The method of claim 14wherein said step of transporting is performed using a drive means forapplying a force to said trolley to move said trolley between saidsubstantially horizontal position and said substantially verticalposition.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of removing isperformed using a vertical pipe handling machine.
 17. The method ofclaim 13 wherein said tubular comprises a stand, said method furthercomprising the steps: making-up a plurality of stands on said platformprior to a drilling operation; storing said plurality of stands in ahorizontal pipe rack on said platform; and moving at least one standfrom said horizontal pipe rack to a pick-up area where said step ofgrasping can be performed when said trolley is lowered to saidsubstantially horizontal position.
 18. A method for performing adrilling operation, said method comprising the steps: transferring aplurality of individual tubulars to a platform; preparing a firsttubular and a second tubular for make-up; making-up a stand in asubstantially horizontal position on said platform using said firsttubular and said second tubular; grasping said stand in saidsubstantially horizontal position using a trolley; transporting saidtrolley with said stand from said substantially horizontal position to asubstantially vertical position at a rig floor entry; removing saidstand from said trolley to a traveling equipment using a vertical pipehandling machine; and running said stand into a hole using saidtraveling equipment.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein after saiddrilling operation is completed, said method further comprising thesteps: removing said stand from said hole using said travelingequipment; placing said stand into said substantially vertical positionin said trolley; lowering said trolley to said substantially horizontalposition on said platform; releasing said stand into said pick-up area;raising said trolley back to said substantially vertical position; andbreaking out said stand in said substantially horizontal position. 20.The method of claim 18 wherein said step of making-up is performed usinga bucking machine situated in a horizontal position on said platform.